MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - On Campus and Around the world

In an article for The Financial Times, Prof. Carlo Ratti writes about his group’s new research that “reveals that those over the age of 66 have more encounters with a broader cross-section of society than younger, working-age groups.” Ratti adds: “Armed with data that shows retirement expands opportunities for social interaction, cities could be designed to support this more deliberately. Retirement communities could be woven into student neighborhoods, for example, allowing knowledge to circulate across generations. Public spaces could be optimized to encourage everyday mixing.”

MIT researchers have developed a new traffic navigation system that more accurately reflects travel time by including parking data, reports Catherine Parotta for Boston 25. “What we can do is figure out if you’re best off trying this parking lot first, even if it’s farther than the closest parking lot,” explains Prof. Cathy Wu. Graduate student Cameron Hickert adds that: “We hope that this can help people make better decisions." 

Prof. Richard Binzel speaks with CBS Boston about the success of the Artemis II mission and the future of space exploration. "It's exciting we have humans back in space again," Binzel shared. "It's a real test of a spaceflight system. Surviving reentry and landing safely. That's the real accomplishment here. Showing we can go to the moon but also come back safely."

Writing for WBUR, MIT Profs. Christopher Knittel, Catherine Wolfram and UCLA Prof. Kimberly Clausing break down the cost of climate change for the average American household, which is about $900 each year. “Climate inaction isn’t just an environmental failure, it’s a sizable part of America’s affordability problem,” they write. “Recognizing this may finally make climate action something voters can rally behind.”

Jennifer Eagen of WCVB-TV highlights MIT Space Week, an annual series of events across MIT focused on space exploration and the space industry. Eagan notes that one of the themes for this year’s event is the space economy. "Having humans land on the moon, having built a base on the moon, learning how to operate there so eventually we can go to Mars," said keynote speaker Terry Virts, former commander of the International Space Station. "I would love to see all those things happen that would be a huge success for America and for the world, for all of humanity."

Prof. Andrew Lo speaks with CNBC reporter Greg Iacurci about using AI systems for financial planning and advice. “The problem that we have to solve is not whether AI has enough expertise. The answer right now is, clearly, AI has the [financial] expertise,” says Lo. “What they don’t have is that fiduciary duty. They don’t have the ability to suffer consequences if they make a mistake to the same degree that a human advisor does.”

Artemis II features laser communication technology developed by researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, reports Mary Salanda for WCVB. “Known as the O2O, the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System is mounted on the spacecraft and features a 4-inch telescope that relies on lasers to quickly transmit images from space, including from the far side of the moon.” 

The Boston Symphony Orchestra will perform the world premiere of Prof. Tod Machover’s “already and not yet,” reports A.Z. Madonna for The Boston Globe. Madonna notes that Machover, “has a decades-long resume of experimenting with artificial intelligence technology in music-making, such as in the 1987 science fiction opera ‘VALIS.’” 

Prof. Sinan Aral joins CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss the state of AI data center construction across the U.S. and the impact of new AI technologies on the power grid. “Data center and compute demand is so large and growing,” says Aral. He adds that hybrid models that “combine the benefit of connecting to the [power] grid with the benefit of an energy island model, where you have onsite storage of energy, you have battery and you have onsite generation to offload during peak times. The hybrid model is really good because it gets the best of both worlds.” 

MIT is exploring new pathways to build upon its entrepreneurial ecosystem, including creating additional support for startups and identifying new opportunities for successful translation and entrepreneurship, reports Greg Ryan for Bloomberg. “MIT has long had a reputation for fostering entrepreneurship: A 2015 report found that a quarter of alumni had founded their own companies, which together would have formed the world’s 10th-largest economy at the time,” explains Ryan. “Since then, MIT faculty and graduates have continued to develop new companies in technology, pharmaceuticals and other industries.” 

Yuly Fuentes-Medel of the MIT Climate Project speaks with GBH Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan about her work focused on improving sustainability in the footwear industry, and making running shoes more eco-friendly.